> I apologise to everyone else on the list who come here to talk about > bluegrass. thats what it should be about. Before being attacked by Mr > Woodward, I even said that politics just starts our own little wars, and > would probably be better left outside this discussion forum. This will be > my last post about this, and Mr Woodward can go attack somebody else now, > maybe he should try selling Nazi records to Jewish people.
Willie, nobody is "attacking" you (I even said so in my post), & I don't want to discuss politics either. But you raised some interesting points about what are "appropriate" artistic choices. I think that ties directly into American songwriting traditions, & that's what I was replying to. I'm sorry if that upset you. "John Walker's Blues" is no celebration of the Taliban or Walker's beliefs, nor does it degrade our soldiers. Earle is simply doing what singer-songwriters have done throughout generations, & that is to write about hot-button issues in an effort to make sense of them. You don't have to like it, but it IS an old tradition, & there are thousands of story songs to prove that point, including a few by the Stanley Brothers. Two come immediately to mind: "The Flood," & "The Story of the Lawson Family," which Carter wrote about Charlie Lawson, a man who murdered his wife & two children. That's great that you personally walked the streets of Baghdad, if by that you mean that you are a vet, then you have my & everybody else's respect. I personally watched the World Trade towers come down from my backyard in Jersey City, where I was living at the time. I personally witnessed the second plane hit. I saw people jumping out the windows to their deaths. I saw both towers fall down. A couple of people I know died in that disaster. So we all have our own little war stories you see... I also have a couple friends who play in Steve Earle's band, so I have a little insight into the song that you don't, & I think you misunderstand its intent. The song doesn't offend me, but if it still offends you, that is your right. But just because someone disagrees, that doesn't mean you are being personally "attacked"! bw ****************************************************************** BUDDY WOODWARD - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - - - - - - BUDDY WOODWARD & THE NITRO EXPRESS http://www.buddywoodward.net - - - - - - THE DIXIE BEE LINERS - bluegrass with a buzz http://www.dixiebeeliners.com ****************************************************************** Bluegrass Bulletin Board brought to you by the fan club of Dr Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys subscribe or unsubscribe at http://drralphstanley.com/
